Guest Blog: Ginger’s Secret History Of Rock’n’Roll (Pt.1)
In the first of a new series, The Wildhearts’ mainman recommends overlooked classic albums.
Jason and the Scorchers
‘Lost And Found’
EMI America, 1985
Nashville, early 80s, and Country music has reached a nadir of mainstream ambivalence that ol’ Hank and Mr. Cash would have sneered at from spitting distance. Pop had successfully shaved the edges from all that it had infected, Country being no exception, and soon Punk would follow on this willfully commercial theme with lip gloss and hair gel replacing spit n’ spikes. Joe sang about ‘turning rebellion into money’ and never was there a time where this seemed to ring with more morbid truth.
Illinois native Jason Ringenberg would be the man to change the way that Country music would be heard to this present day, influencing the ‘alt country’ movement in 1990’s and establishing a pounding drive and punk spirit to a genre of music that had long since misplaced any concept of danger.
Forming in 1981 as Jason And The Nashville Scorchers, and releasing an EP, ‘Reckless Country Soul’ in 1982 on the independent Praxis label, JATS were picked up by EMI, delivering mini-album ‘Fervor’ in 1983, both releases hinting at a power that would be harnessed like a wild bronco for 1985’s ‘Lost And Found’.
Produced by Fervor’s Terry Manning, this whip cracking, foot stomping hootenanny opens up with the frantic ‘Last Time Around’ before hurtling into one of rock n roll’s top 5 most thrilling moments, the mean-spirited relentlessness of ‘White Lies’. Written by drummer Perry Baggs, this song, some 20 odd years later still has the ability to simultaneously make love to and bugger the listener senseless.
With the ferocious guitar work of Warner E. Hodges battling for supremacy next to Jason’s howling vocal performances there are few finer examples in the annals of recorded music of how the electricity of personality makes for such thrilling sonic adventure. The sheer pummeling force of the band’s delivery on this track alone holds the ability to lure the listener into some dank, beer-drenched barn dance where one can at once feel the crowd and smell the cowshit.
It’s this same dynamic approach that fuels the Scorchers vicious take of Hank Williams ‘Lost Highway‘, on side two, trading in the dusty romance of the original for a wild, pedal-to-the-floor abandon, just one of the trademarks of this genre blasting group.
While accusations could be, unfairly, leveled at ‘Lost And Found’ for being a mixed bag of southern comforts, the other styles represented here merely reflect Jason And The Scorchers remaining trademarks, namely a classic sense of storytelling balladry, as in the wistful ‘Still Tied’, and their unflinching mastery of pop, like the truly awesome shit-kicker ‘Shop It Around’. Hell, sometimes they just throw all the ingredients into one spicy gumbo soup and end up with the jaw dropping brilliance that is ‘Broken Whiskey Glass’, where the sweetest melody breaks into the fucking Batman riff only to careen off the beaten track in a liquor fuelled breakneck boogie. Holy damn!
The pace on this album is so willfully disjointed that it simply demands constant replay in order to savour a time when such a radical approach to traditional music could actually be seen as outrageous. Yeah, those days may be long gone but it’s still vitally important to remember the pioneers and the unsung heroes who delivered the present day to your stereo.
Jason and the Scorchers not only breathed fiery life into the wizened lungs of a dying genre, they installed a sense of hope and belief in every young person within contagious distance of this punk spirit and country stomp hybrid.
Alongside every well earned accolade placed at the legacy of Ramones influence and spoken with each rightly afforded round of lip service paid to Willie Nelson and Steve Earle’s rejection of NashVegas tradition, Jason And The Scorchers name should be held in equally high regard as an essential section in the evolution of rock n roll.
They made it cool to be you. Yee, and indeed Haw.
Come back next Friday for the next entry in Ginger’s Secret History of Rock’n’Roll.
Just brought ‘White Lies’ and ‘Lost Highway’ and they kick ass, I ecspecially like the Harmonica on the latter that really drives the song..
crazy
Good read! And congrats on your first piece!
Truly a Great American Rock & Roll Record from a Great American Rock & Roll band. Thanks for reminding folks of its existence.
Great stuff! I dont think a monthly special of this column in hard copy would hurt would it? Think it’s got legs me!!!
Appreciation of a blinding album i had all but forgotten about!
Ginger.
Saw this through the link on gingerandthesoniccircus.net. I picked up Still Standing after your recommendation, Brilliant album and I really should get some more by them. Looking forward to finding some more interesting stuff through this blog. There’s gotta be something by the Cardiacs coming up right?
It is a great album indeed, and a very well written column. I was fortunate enough to see them live last year and they are such a fantastic band, and white lies and broken whiskey glass are 2 of my favourite songs.
I look forward to the next column, what hidden treasure will be uncovered next time!
Excellent write-up, classic album — and looking forward to the next installment.
Great album by a great band. What more can ye say?
Great article, must dig the album out. Looking forward to next weeks blog!
White Lies is truly one of them tracks that just blows you away on every listen. Catchy, heavy and anthemic, and Jason’s vocal work never ceases to impress.
Hope to see more o’ the same, Ginge.
Hey Ginger,
I picked up Lost And Found and Fervour on your recommendation months ago. Both have been re-issued on CD with a reproduction sleeve. Awesome stuff, man! I bumped into Warner in Belfast when he toured with Dan Baird: a really nice guy as well as a breath-taking guitarist! His Centreline album and the Homemade Sin record are pretty good too! He did promise to return with his solo show and the Scorchers soon. Fingers are firmly crossed.
Curious to see what records you single out for recommendation, especially by Steve Earle, Cheap Trick or Kiss!
Aewsome blog, infectious enthusiasm, funny as fuck – I never not want to read anything Ginger writes because it always makes my day! And what will I do now? Go and check out this band because I’d be daft not to!
Awesome, can’t wait what album you have in store for us next time. Cheers.
I meant to buy this every time I listened to 29x the Pain, and finally did! Looking forward to next week’s recommendation.
Spent many a drunk evening at 688 in Atlanta seeing the Scorchers, Webb Wilder, The Satellites, and on and on…..The days of of my youth drunk on innocence……has anyone heard the new Dan Baird with Warner on guitar?
Great review! Kinda preaching to the converted in my case but I’m really looking forward to Ginger’s next reviews – I read his review of the Lee Harvey Oswald Band’s lost classic ‘Blastronaut’ in Kerrang! over a decade ago &, bless his Geordie socks, he was not wrong…
Great review Ginger. Looking forward to reading the next.
I agree with how good that album is. I would also put in a plea that anyone getting the chance goes to see them (individually or as JATS) because you certainly get your moneys worth of good R&R from them.
Really nice people too and always seem happy to chat if they can.
Steve
just bought Lost And Found and Fervour from Amazon.
cant wait to hear it
i love your version of white lies btw.
Ginger, this blog is gonna cost me money! LOL
See you in Dudley mate.
SH
Have been listening to this album for about 20 years! One of my top 5 albums.
So many memories connected to songs like Shop It Around and Money Talks…
Great that more people out there get a reminder about this gem
Cheers
NiX
Great opener for the blog! Sadly underrated classic indeed. A great pairing with Jason & the Scorchers is X, The Knitters, Uncle Tupelo, Rank & File, True Believers, The Blasters, & The Paladins! Looking forward to the next entry…
Cheers from Chicago!
hi ginger.congrats on your new column.finally someone i can believe what they are saying,and doesnt bullshit or suck up to anyone.i used to watch billy rankin play acoustic gigs in a bar in hamilton scotland called blazers.gun played there nazareth,s.a.h.b and remember engine ?.hope to hear some new wildhearts/solo material soon..all the best and good luck
Absolutely brilliant! Fingers crossed this becomes a regular slot…
p.s. anyone as eager to hear the new album as i am?! ¦o) x
Great read!! Hoping to get into a few more bands through this column…..
Great article and great album. I recently re-discovered this album while sorting out some vinyl that I had im my loft. I hadn’t listened to it in about ten years before that but as soon as I played a remembered every lyric, every riff and every hook the way you do with truly great albums! Can’t wait for the next installment Ginge.
Cool…when you reviewing ‘Violation’ then?
…I can feel it coming……
BRAVO! As a reader in the USA, i was lucky enough to catch Jason and the boys more than a few times in their heyday, and few bands had the energy and A-Z emotions these guys could pack into one show…i first fell in love with the “Fervor” ep in ‘83, but was knocked out by “Lost and Found” and it’s in my top 20 of all times…unlike most releases in that era, it’s not dated by goofy drum sounds or tinny 80’s production, so everyone NEEDS this in their collection!!!!
JATS caught my imagination in 1984 when this record came out and haven’t let go of it since. Respect to you, Ginger, for kicking off with this album; and even more for opening for JATS at the Mean Fiddler all those years ago (great night out!) and for the GATS show I caught in Leeds; looking forward to seeing you in Leeds in May, and seeing Jason and Warner ripping up some UK stages in July too!
The Scorchers have been a fave band of mine since college days, and that’s a long time ago!!!! Saw thgem last time around, and my daughter (13 at the time) was mighty impressed too!!!
Love that record!
[...] Ginger has a brand new column at Classic Rock Magazine [...]
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